The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest level since the pandemic began, a sign the job market is still improving even as hiring has slowed in the past two months. Unemployment claims dropped 36,000 to 293,000, the second straight drop, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the smallest number of people to apply for benefits since March 2020, when the pandemic intensified.
Consumer prices rose 0.4% last month, slightly higher than August’s gain and pushing annual inflation back to the highest increase in 13 years. The consumer price index rose 5.4% in September from a year ago, up slightly from August’s gain of 5.3% and matching the increases in June and July. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core inflation rose 0.2% in September and 4% compared with a year ago.
The Labor Market Information Center has released the latest Online Job Openings Report (OJOR), a monthly summary of online job openings and active résumés from Job Service North Dakota’s labor exchange system. North Dakota had a total of 17,564 open and available online job openings in September 2021, a change of +0.3 percent (+45) from the prior month and +38.3 percent (+4,864) from the same month one year ago.
Delta Air Lines is reporting a $1.2 billion profit for the third quarter, thanks in large part to federal aid to help the industry get through the pandemic. Delta said that travel demand is improving after flattening out in late summer, when coronavirus cases spiked in the U.S. But lucrative corporate and international travel continue to lag.
Brandon Baumbach, director of business development at the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation (EDC), was awarded the Economic Development Association of North Dakota’s Economic Developer of the Year Award. The North Dakota Governor’s Office, the North Dakota Department of Commerce and the EDND presented the Governor’s Choice Economic Development Awards during the EDND Fall Conference in Fargo.
Governor Burgum awarded Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation’s workforce development manager, Becca Cruger, and contributing team members the 21st Century Workforce Award at the Main Street Summit. Cruger was recognized for the “What’s Cooler Today?” blog, and InternGF—the program designed to increase the number of local internships, aiding employers’ workforce recruitment and retention efforts.
The North Dakota University System has appointed David Krebsbach as the permanent vice chancellor for administrative affairs and chief financial officer. He was first appointed interim for the duties in August. Prior to his work at the NDUS, he was a finance manager for Job Service of North Dakota for eight years.
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